Crime King Chavez Told to "Shut Up" by Spanish King

The Los Angeles Times has an interesting article by Moses Naim, editor of Foreign Policy magazine and the author of "Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers and Copycats Are Hijacking the Global Economy," on how Chavez's rule in Venezuela is creating the world's major hub for crime and smuggling and other syndicates attempting to subvert law and order. Naim, himself an all-but-avowed socialist, makes some strong accusations in the LA Times piece:

Venezuela has become a major hub for international crime syndicates. What attracts them is not the local market; what they really love are the excellent conditions Venezuela offers to anyone in charge of managing a global criminal network.

A nation at the crossroads of South America, the Caribbean, North America and Europe, Venezuela's location is ideal. Borders? Long, scantly populated and porous. Financial system? Large and with easy-to-evade governmental controls. Telecommunications, ports and airports? The best that oil money can buy. U.S. influence? Nil. Corrupt politicians, cops, judges and military officers? Absolutely: Transparency International ranked Venezuela a shameful 162 out of 179 counties on its corruption perception index. Chavez's demonstrated interest in confronting criminal networks during his eight years in power? Not much.

Naim proceeds to delineate the outlines of Hugo Chavez's illegal activities, including subverting UN guidelines on arms control and production.

In Uruguay, an outraged legislator dropped this bombshell a few weeks ago: A group of Venezuelans had engineered the sale of Iranian arms and munitions to his country, using Venezuelan companies as a cover to bypass the U.N. embargo on Iran's arms trade. Likewise, the guerrillas in Colombia seem to have no trouble acquiring weapons through Venezuela-based arms dealers.

Naim notes that other leftist "elected" leaders of Latin American countries are in the organized crime spree, including the President of Argentina:

While this situation has so far been rather invisible to the rest of the world, it is patently clear to those in charge of fighting transnational crime. Anti-trafficking officials in Europe, the United States, Asia and other Latin American countries are paying unprecedented attention to Venezuela. These officials are not particularly interested in Venezuelan politics or in Chavez's policies. All they care about is that the tentacles of these global criminal networks are spreading from Venezuela into their countries with enormous power and at great speed.

The numbers speak volumes: About 75 tons of cocaine left Venezuela in 2003; it is estimated that 276 tons will leave the country this year. Before, the main destination was the United States; now, Europe is increasingly the target. Italy and Spain are two new important and lucrative end-user markets, and earning in euros is undeniably better than getting paid in dollars these days.

A senior Dutch police officer told me that he and his European colleagues are spending more time in Caracas than in Bogota, Colombia, and that the heads of many of the major criminal cartels now operate with impunity, and effectiveness, from Venezuela. The cartel bosses aren't exclusively Colombians -- there are Asians (especially Chinese) and Europeans too. Caracas' most posh neighborhoods are home to important kingpins from around the world, including some from Belarus, a country that Chavez notably has visited several times.

Venezuela appears near the top of lists compiled by the anti-money-laundering authorities as well. Money moves in and out, and not just through electronic inter-bank transfers. The combination of private jets, suitcases full of cash and diplomatic immunity has opened up new possibilities. Recently, one Venezuelan member of the boliburguesía -- the new mega-rich -- was caught carrying at least one suitcase full of money. He was discovered by a customs officer in Buenos Aires but not arrested. Turns out he was traveling on an executive jet with senior members of the government of Argentina's president, Nestor Kirchner.

Meanwhile at a Latin-American summit in Chile, the King of Spain walked out when serial buffoon Hugo Chavez called former Spanish Prime Minister Aznar a "fascist". The Socialist PM of Spain Zapatero praised Aznar as the elected representative of the Spanish people even though he did not agree with Aznar's "ideology."

Buffoon Chavez rudely said he had a right to be rude and stupid, as he represents the Venezuelan people [Oops, I made that last part up, fat Hugo said he had a right to say what he wanted.] He is in the Naomi Campbell/Sean Penn/Cindy Sheehan eternal child tantrum mode more and more as the blog below notes. Venezuela News and Views has a long analysis and description of Chavez's descent into petty tyranny, as he plans a totalitarian dictatorship more suitable to his Hitlerian temperament. [My interpretation.]